APNew England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, left, meets New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan on the field after the Patriots beat the Jets 45-3 in an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 6, 2010, in Foxborough, Mass.

At the 19-yard line, up 38-3 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal Monday night against the Jets.

They got the first down and two plays later punched it in the end zone to go up 45-3.

After forcing the Jets off the field, Patriots coach Bill Belichick sent his starters back out with 5 minutes, 49 seconds remaining and even elected to have quarterback Tom Brady throw the ball a few times.

It was certainly a statement game and some, including Jets coach Rex Ryan, feel that the Patriots went out of their way to run up the score Monday night.

When asked about their late game tactics, Ryan said he thought the Patriots were trying to send him a message.

“Probably. I mean, I don’t think he was necessarily trying to rub it in, but this is the same team that took a bunch of shots on us and they had paybacks,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “I mean, let’s face it, we kicked their butt at our place. So you know, they are trying to come back. So, trust me, we will remember this. There is no question about that.”

There’s no doubt that the Patriots had a little something extra for the Jets Monday night after all the talking they did throughout the early part of the season.

But at the same time, Ryan never pulled up the reins on his team. Belichick usually won’t take his starters off the field unless his opponent concedes defeat first.

And was Belichick’s decision to go for it on fourth down a reflection of the trust level he has with backup kicker Shayne Graham? There were swirling winds ripping through the stadium, so nothing was a given.